Sustainability and Project Delivery

Transcription

1 Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW 4 Sustainability and Project Delivery 4.1 Sustainable building through design management Worksheet 4.1A Sustainable Design Plan (SDP) template Worksheet 4.1B Choosing the appropriate environmental rating tool 4.2 Sustainable building projects through tendering Worksheet 4.2A Environmental specifications building refurbishment and fitout projects Worksheet 4.2B Environmental evaluation of project tenders 4.3 Sustainable fitouts Worksheet 4.3A Checklist for sustainable fitouts 4.4 Sustainable base building refurbishment (retrofitting) 4.5 Reporting sustainability outcomes Worksheet 4.5A Project completion sustainability report

2 4.0 Section 4 overview This section provides ideas and tools to help integrate environmental and social sustainability into your project delivery for refurbishments or fitouts. Spending capital funds to refurbish existing offices or new fitouts provides an opportunity to effectively integrate sustainability into your procurement process, and to strengthen the business case for sustainability. The benefits can be both direct and indirect (e.g. improved reputation or marketability resulting from good environmental performance) and become part of the value matrix. Early decisions on identifying and integrating sustainability standards into the property cycle are more likely to result in the creation of long-term value. However, throughout the whole project delivery continuum there are key windows of opportunity for setting and achieving higher levels of performance based on sustainability standards. Capital or recurrent funded development projects can provide the scale and momentum to support improved environmental and social standards. Whether a refurbishment, an upgrade or new fitout, sustainable development projects allow your organisation to demonstrate its commitment, comply with policy goals, engage with your stakeholders and achieve better standards. This section does not set out to provide design solutions for environmental sustainability. Design solutions, standards and technical information for designers and managers working in the property industry are readily available elsewhere. Green building standards are increasingly demonstrating what can be achieved. Competencies in the use of these standards and their integration into project management is also increasing. 4.1 Sustainable building through design management Explains how design management tools can help your design team and project managers set and achieve desired sustainability outcomes. Worksheet 4.1A Sustainable Design Plan (SDP) template Worksheet 4.1B Choosing the appropriate environmental rating tool 4.2 Sustainable building projects through tendering Outlines the role of the tendering and contract documentation process in supporting your project s sustainable design intent. Worksheet 4.2A Environmental specifications building refurbishment and fitout projects Worksheet 4.2B Environmental evaluation of project tenders 4.3 Sustainable fitouts Suggests how you can use commercial fitouts as an opportunity to engage with your tenants and help them integrate sustainability into their fitout design and construction. Worksheet 4.3A Checklist for sustainable fitouts 4.4 Sustainable base building refurbishment (retrofitting) Provides guidance on assessing the current performance of the base building, scoping refurbishment (retrofitting) in accordance with good property fundamentals, changing tenant demand for green performance and the established environmental rating tools.

3 4.5 Reporting sustainability outcomes Provides a template for listing the benefits of completed projects to help you promote these outcomes to key stakeholders. Worksheet 4.5A Project completion sustainability report Project delivery process The project delivery process for building projects and upgrades provides many opportunities for adding or better defining sustainability practices: 1 Planning Establish sustainability vision and goals Build sustainability cost allowance into project budget 2 Concept design Identify key responsibilities Develop initial sustainable design plan 3 Commissioning To ensure the targets are achieved include commissioning expertise from project inception and scoping through to ongoing management of the completed and rated project 4 Detailed design Explore design options and undertake cost benefit analysis Update sustainable design plan 5 Tender documentation Determine tender environmental specifications Determine environmental management provisions to be included in the contract 6 Tender evaluation Include sustainability in tender evaluation criteria Review tenderer s outline Environmental Management Plan 7 Contract administration Ensure contractor s detailed Environmental Management Plan is satisfactory (and Waste Management Plan if applicable) 8 Occupation Prepare project completion sustainability report Negotiate green leasing arrangements Conduct post-occupancy environmental evaluations

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5 Sustainable building through design management 4.1 Context The design process and good design is critical to sustainability. This section contains advice about how to manage the design process for building refurbishment or fitout projects to support your organisation s sustainability goals. This applies to any form of commercial construction, whether: starting a new development on a greenfield or brownfield (previously developed) site refurbishing an existing base building (also called retrofit), or constructing a new tenancy fitout or deconstructing and rebuilding a fitout for an existing tenancy. A project s design phase is the primary context for selecting the options and initiating the actions that will determine whether your refurbishment or fitout will result in a property that is sustainable in the short and long term. Your sustainability initiatives must be included from the outset because they cannot easily be added later. Optimum environmental and social outcomes are more likely if your design process is guided by a structured and accountable approach, rather than relying on a designer s inherent capabilities or including general statements about aspirations in a project design brief. Sustainable Design Plan (SDP) What s in this section Integrating sustainability into the design process p2 Step 1 Establish the sustainability vision and goals Step 2 Incorporate goals into building project briefs Step 3 Develop a Sustainable Design Plan (SDP) Step 4 Implement the SDP Step 5 Monitor the SDP during the construction phase Step 6 Report sustainability achievements Further issues to consider p6 Worksheet 4.1A Sustainable Design Plan (SDP) template Worksheet 4.1B Choosing the appropriate environmental rating tool One approach to help integrate sustainability criteria into your design process is to use a project management tool such as a Sustainable Design Plan (SDP). Elements from an SDP can also be incorporated into other project management tools as your project team s experience in incorporating sustainability issues develops. An SDP applies to your design and contract documentation phases. Its purpose is to set, track and record progress against your project s sustainability objectives. An SDP can also provide a vehicle for: transferring design intentions through to a project s construction and operational phases increasing end users awareness of sustainability features and helping to transfer to them the responsibility for effectively managing those features. Section 4.1 Sustainable building through design management 1

6 An SDP does not replace the use of environmental rating tools for buildings, such as NABERS or Green Star. Rather, it presents your desired building performance attributes in a format that allows your project manager, or other design team members, to: assign accountabilities track progress record decisions made and the rationale behind them. Worksheet 4.1A contains a template you could use as the starting point for project managing the sustainability aspects of your building design process. This template could be applied to any commercial or retail property base building refurbishment (retrofit) or tenancy fitout. Steps: Integrating sustainability into the design process The following steps can be integrated into existing planning and evaluation processes. 1 Establish the sustainability vision and goals Achieving recognised ratings such as NABERS and Green Star is generally seen as being critical to the owner s ability to lease or sell the buildings. The market recognises the star ratings, even if they do not understand the detail of how ratings are calculated. Defining the goals Goals and other desired outcomes such as specific performance targets (e.g. energy efficiency improvements of 20% above portfolio average NABERS and Green Star rating) could be defined in a workshop situation. The participants could include: a recognised sustainability facilitator or environmental practitioner who is able to set the context for sustainability in the relevant marketplace your project team, e.g. architects, services consultants, structural engineers, quantity surveyors, commissioning agent the client or owner of the project if an external service provider is to be appointed to manage the property, a representative of the proposed property management organisation if the project is to be leased or sold, a representative of the organisation that will be selling or leasing the property. Using sustainable design plans The Colonial First State Global Asset Management Sustainability Manual provides instructions for fund, portfolio and development managers about how to use sustainable design plans (SDPs) in the design and delivery of new buildings and major refurbishments. The purpose of SDPs is to: facilitate a process for identifying project sustainability objectives and integrating them into the design process track and monitor design team progress, including the rationale behind decisions that influence the project s ability to achieve its sustainability objectives record the outcomes of design or product investigations (for knowledge-transfer purposes) and increase awareness of Colonial First State Global Asset Management s commitment to property sustainability in the design and contracting market. SDPs are mandatory requirements on all capital projects in excess of $2.5 million, and projects over $150 million in total have SDPs as part of their delivery process. Examples include 259 George Street, Sydney; 1 York Street, Sydney and 367 Collins Street, Melbourne. Project outcomes include: increasing diversion of demolition waste from landfill using materials with a high percentage of recycled content specifying waterless urinals increasing use of energy efficient lighting avoiding toxic materials increasing the potential NABERS ratings (Energy, Water and Waste) achieving Green Star credit points. Colonial First State Global Asset Management, 2

7 Even if leasing or selling agencies have not been appointed at this stage their objectives can be set now to be worked into a contract later on. It s important to involve the full project team in this workshop session because the decisions may involve all the various disciplines. When defining sustainability goals, your analysis should include the whole-of-life operational savings that will result from achieving a green building standard, as well as the costs and benefits of each initiative. The goals could be set out as aspirations with an agreement to strive for the best possible result within the resources available. Evaluating the business case When deciding which sustainability goals to pursue, evaluate the business case as described in Section 3.1: Incorporating sustainability into decision making. This will help to establish a logical and reviewable framework for making decisions. Remember to test the outcomes so that your goals and the resulting scope of works: are coordinated to perform to grades or ratings meet your strategy for the building or tenancy meet market demand. Provide a broad timeframe and plan for each goal, including a priority list. 2 Incorporate goals into the building project briefs The project brief, project manager s brief and design consultant s brief all need to set out: the agreed sustainability goals and targets, including NABERS and Green Star ratings the key performance indicators that will be used to measure achievements in relation to these goals and targets the roles and responsibilities of the project manager, design team and sustainability facilitator or environmental practitioner. The SDP could be the formal link between design work and your sustainability goals. (The alternative is to incorporate the sustainability goals into other existing project management tools.) Where an SDP will be used as a project management tool make sure your design team understands this from the outset. Check against industry tools from the start If you intend to have the project Green Star or NABERS rated, or graded against the Property Council of Australia s A Guide to Office Building Quality, then use their tools and guides from the outset and refer to them regularly to make sure the project complies with them where possible. It s difficult to reverse or correct early decisions at a later stage. For example, under Green Star, the early engagement of a commissioning agent is important. If this is missed, you may lose the opportunity to achieve some of the commissioning points. If you are entering into a Commitment Agreement for a NABERS Energy rating, this should be done in the earliest stages of a project, while it is still possible to make adjustments to the design. Use the tools as checklists Use the NABERS and Green Star categories and tools as checklists. The Green Star Credit Summary Tables provide an excellent document that can be used as a checklist to ensure that most aspects of sustainability have been considered. For NABERS see For Green Star see For the PCA s A Guide to Office Building Quality see Section 4.1 Sustainable building through design management 3

8 3 Develop a Sustainable Design Plan Before any design work begins, your project manager (or design manager) needs to adapt the generic SDP template (Worksheet 4.1A) to suit the project scope and the agreed sustainability goals. Any aspects of performance and desired environmental outcomes ( design intent ) agreed to previously should be included in the SDP, with a clear instruction that your design team needs to collaborate as necessary to achieve these goals. To support this process, get your project manager and design team together to review the environmental or other risks associated with non-delivery or under-achievement in relation to the sustainability goals and targets. If you have the support of all parties, this does not need to be quantified, but qualified. The environmental goals and aspirations can be broad put your time and energy into moving forward with the appropriate, environmentally sensitive design plan and selecting the appropriate ratings tool. Before the first design team meeting: ask your design team to review the SDP template and add any actions to be taken (See Worksheet 4.1A), and then ask your project manager to review the actions, compile the project s draft SDP, and comment on the plan s comprehensiveness and practicality. Review and refine the SDP to make sure it covers all relevant areas and is appropriate for the scope of the project and your sustainability goals. A sustainability facilitator could help with this task. At the design team s first meeting, ideally before the project brief has final approval, discuss the SDP to refine the actions and confirm the responsibilities. Once all the applicable sections of the SDP have been compiled, seek final approval. Once formally accepted, the SDP becomes the agreed Project Management Tool for facilitating sustainable design during the design and documentation phase of your project. As such, make sure it is included in the normal project management process undertaken by your project manager and used as a reference tool during design meetings. Fostering innovation Encourage a culture of innovation within your design team, so that all possible options for achieving the sustainability goals can be explored. Options that might require senior management comment or agreement should be presented as part of usual project management procedures, supported by information about capital costs, wholeof-life costs and whole-of-life benefits. In some cases it will be appropriate to use life cycle assessment techniques to present the environmental costs and benefits. 4 Implement the SDP Use the SDP to monitor the project s design development and check whether the project is on track to achieve the required sustainability goals. Comprehensively record all actions, outcomes and decisions relating to sustainability during the design phase. In particular, the capacity to achieve the sustainability goals and targets should be assessed and 4

9 reported on. Other documentation, e.g. supplier s product statements or outcomes of building investigations, may also be appended to the SDP. (See Section 5: Sustainability and the Supply Chain.) Reviews and updates Review and report on the SDP progressively during the design and contract documentation phases and update it as required. Assess which sustainability benchmarks (e.g. energy efficiency performance or material selection) are on track and which goals can be achieved within the project budget. This may involve changes to the design. It s also important to feed this information back through your project team. If your design team s brief is to achieve a desired environmental rating then it s crucial that progress towards this goal is reviewed. The team should periodically carry out a test rating of the project to track progress by using a comprehensive checklist, e.g. the Green Building Council of Australia have one in their design tool, titled Credit Criteria (see gbca.org.au). Note that while a NABERS Energy rating cannot be obtained until you have at least 12 months energy data after the building has been substantially occupied, it is possible to sign a Commitment Agreement to achieve a future rating. This allows you to promote the future rating from the outset of a project. See com.au for more information. Encourage design team members to regularly review their actions and update the SDP as necessary so that it accurately reflects progress and outcomes. As a minimum, review and update the project s progress against the SDP at the following stages: confirmation of the design brief 50% design stage 95% design stage 50% contract documentation stage tender stage. Add an updated copy of the SDP to the project file at each of these stages so it s available when required. Before going to tender, the relevant design team members should sign off the final SDP as confirmation that all tasks have been completed as described in the plan. Make sure the completed SDP is accompanied with sufficient documentation to support an application for a formal environmental rating such as Green Star or NABERS. Managing knowledge It s important the SDP also records outcomes or decisions about why a particular goal or target could not be achieved. This will help to support the knowledge management process between all the team members. Capacity building When used effectively, the SDP can facilitate transfer of knowledge right through to documentation for handover to occupants and other end users. This could be prepared as a Building Users Guide or information for tenants. It can also support transfer of knowledge within a property or design organisation and between various property projects. Benefits of experience Using a contractor with sustainability experience can be of benefit to the project. As an example, using contractors with ISO certification may enable you to gain additional points under Green Star. Section 4.1 Sustainable building through design management 5

10 Involving the contractor Include a completed, final SDP in the tender and contract documentation to be provided to the successful building contractor. This will help to facilitate your contractor s awareness and compliance during the construction phase. Many building projects use a design and construct contract or guaranteed maximum price contract where the project is not fully documented prior to tender. Care must be taken where there are strict sustainability requirements. There may be benefit in involving your contractor before the construction documentation is finalised to contribute construction expertise to your project team and deal with issues such as buildability, choice and availability of materials and constraints from existing structures and services. Encourage your contractor to incorporate key aspects of the SDP into their project management system and to progressively report on performance against the intent of the SDP, as well as on any specific contract requirements related to the project s sustainability goals. 5 Monitor the SDP during the construction phase Monitor the project performance during the construction phase to ensure everything is on track to achieve the required sustainability goals. This is particularly important where non-delivery of sustainability initiatives could significantly impact on the project s creditability or achievement of the chosen rating. Include review of environmental performance as a subject in project site meetings. 6 Report sustainability achievements At the end of the project report and evaluate the sustainability outcomes. This will enable you to compare achievements against the goals and make sure that lessons learned are available for future projects. See Section 4.4 on reporting sustainability outcomes. Further issues to consider A tool, not a statement of objectives An SDP is not a substitute for sustainability standards in your project design brief. Your approved project brief should describe or quantify the desired sustainability objectives for the project e.g. to achieve a 5 star NABERS Energy rating or to set a new benchmark in green building performance. The SDP is a tool to help achieve these objectives. Record the rationale Your SDP should record decision-making processes and why certain actions or design elements (whether included in the budget or not) were or were not integrated into the tendered design. This is especially desirable where further investigation is required, e.g. finding more information about the energy performance of various chiller options or the air emissions of a particular flooring product. The SDP records the outcomes of such investigations and your rationale behind decisions made. When is it mandatory? You can set thresholds above which an SDP should become a mandatory component of your design process. There is no prescriptive benchmark to follow, other than to acknowledge that improved project design can lead to improved outcomes no matter what your project s capital cost. Whether an SDP is applicable depends on how you perceive the risk of NOT achieving sustainability performance. Your achievements can be quantified using the NABERS or Green Star rating tools. However, sustainability measures must be maintained because the smallest job not carried out to your sustainability standards can damage the environmental performance of your property. Worksheets Review and use these Word documents: 4.1A Sustainable Design Plan (SDP) template 4.1B Choosing the appropriate environmental rating tool 6

11 Worksheet 4.1A [Project name] Sustainable Design Plan This is an example only adapt this worksheet to suit your organisation s requirements. Working document initial schematic design stage Compiled for [name of Design team leader] by [name of Sustainability Facilitator] Date of issue to Project Manager: Last review date: Design Manager approval: Project Manager approval: (completion of all actions) date date Worksheet 4.1A Sustainable Design Plan (SDP) 1

12 Using this template Guidelines for using this template are included here and in Section 4.1 of the DECC NSW Sustainable Property Guide. This Sustainable Design Plan (SDP) template could be applied to any commercial or retail property base-building refurbishment (retrofit) or tenancy fitout. Adapt this generic SDP template to suit your project. Adaptations might include adding references to Green Star, NABERS, the Property Council of Australia s (PCA) A Guide to Office Building Quality or other performance categories which will help achieve the project s sustainability vision. This SDP will be retained as a project management record of commitments at schematic design stage and will be progressively updated as investigations proceed, decisions are made and outcomes are progressed during the design and contract documentation phases. Importantly, information should be provided in sufficient detail to explain why initiatives have been incorporated and why others have been considered, investigated and discounted. Wherever possible, likely outcomes or benefits (e.g. energy/co 2 savings, potable water savings) should be quantified, based on a traditional design approach. Aim: To stimulate, track and record the sustainable design process and to ensure every reasonable effort is made to support the project s environmental and social sustainability goals. Model: The content of the SDP may be guided by a building environmental rating tools e.g. the Green Star or NABERS rating system. Sustainability intent: The design intent listings in the SDP are a result of a sustainability workshop. They represent the desired sustainability goals for this project. Design team responsibility: Review relevant sections and add information to Column B Design team actions to record actions that will be taken during the design, design development and contract documentation phases to achieve the design intent. Actions will be discussed and confirmed at the first team meeting. Sustainability Facilitator responsibility: Progressively record status of actions, investigations and decisions made against each action item. Include options presented for approval and resulting decisions. Quantify expected environmental or social benefits wherever feasible. [Company name] is responsible for maintaining this SDP, seeking updated information from the design team and providing advice to the Design Manager as necessary to ensure an appropriate record of the sustainable design decisions on this project are maintained for project and client purposes. [name of Sustainability Facilitator/Environmental Practitioner] [Contact details] Worksheet 4.1A Sustainable Design Plan (SDP) 2

13 Appropriate benchmarks (examples) Identify a set of appropriate design benchmarks against which this project can be compared. Design objectives may exceed these benchmarks. Individual criteria from tools may be used. List key agreements and actions arising from the sustainability workshop (if undertaken) Benchmark examples Source 2 star NABERS Energy Current accommodation 2.5 star NABERS Energy and 4 star Green Star Current portfolio average 3.5 star NABERS Energy Competitors recent achievement in this market 1 star NABERS Water Current accommodation 1.45 kl/m 2 NLA pa potable water Current accommodation No refrigerant containment Current accommodation 22% tenant waste recycling Current accommodation 67% construction waste diversion from landfill tenant complaints regarding comfort and air quality reduced to 57% of all complaints 313 mj/m 2 /pa base building energy consumption Sydney best practice Last development Last development Property Council of Australia Other: NABERS Waste NABERS Indoor Environment PCA Guide to Office Building Quality Worksheet 4.1A Sustainable Design Plan (SDP) 3

14 Project context Identify information that sets the context for sustainable design objectives and design team actions. Examples may include: Key people involved Have outcomes of the feasibility study been provided to design team? yes/no Client Representative [name] Have key findings of the contaminated site investigation been provided to design team? Have sustainability objectives been stated in the project brief? Has a tenant agreement been entered into to provide a specific level of environmental quality? Project Director Project Manager Design Manager Sustainability Facilitator/ Environmental Practitioner [name] [name] [name] [name] Sample only: how the tables work A Design intent B Design team actions C Resp. D Status and outcomes E Indicators Complete Briefly describe the design intent in regard to sustainability, item by item. For each design intent, list actions proposed or agreements made by the design team at the initial concept design workshop. Identify who is primarily responsible for carrying out the agreed actions. List key supporters if necessary. Update this section as design and documentation work progresses. Identify performance indicators for areas of responsibility. May relate to agreed green building indicators. These indicators will provide information for promoting the outcomes to key stakeholders. Sign off when complete. Worksheet 4.1A Sustainable Design Plan (SDP) 4

15 Integrated design A Design intent B Design team actions C Resp. D Status and outcomes E Indicators Complete Examples: Achieve an effective and collaborative design process by engaging the multiple design disciplines, as well as owners, users, contractors, facility managers and operations personnel. Establish project environmental and social performance goals and use these as the basis for selecting and implementing related building design, construction and operational strategies. Sustainable site Describe the environmental features of the site, including proximity to public transport, Green Star credits and any limiting factors or likely DA conditions. A Design intent B Design team actions C Resp. D Status and outcomes E Indicators Complete Examples: Reduce the environmental impact of the location of the development on adjacent residential or business communities. List actions that will optimise environmental and social outcomes of site development. Refer to any environmental studies (or site contamination studies) and resulting required mitigating actions relating to design work. Worksheet 4.1A Sustainable Design Plan (SDP) 5

16 Sustainable site Describe the environmental features of the site, including proximity to public transport, Green Star credits and any limiting factors or likely DA conditions. A Design intent B Design team actions C Resp. D Status and outcomes E Indicators Complete No adverse visual impact when viewed from neighbouring areas. Undertake site remediation and rehabilitation as required to optimise site use and eliminate health hazards. Conserve, protect and enhance existing natural areas and restore damaged areas providing environmental habitat. Water efficiency Describe the appropriate performance benchmark to measure outcomes against e.g. local water authority best practice, Green Star credits or NABERS Water rating, or current accommodation water efficiency. A Design intent B Design team actions C Resp. D Status and outcomes E Indicators Complete Examples: Eliminate use of potable water for HVAC equipment cooling. As above As above As above Limit or eliminate the use of potable water for landscape irrigation. Reduce generation of wastewater and potable water demand through innovative water demand technologies. Worksheet 4.1A Sustainable Design Plan (SDP) 6

17 Water efficiency Describe the appropriate performance benchmark to measure outcomes against e.g. local water authority best practice, Green Star credits or NABERS Water rating, or current accommodation water efficiency. A Design intent B Design team actions C Resp. D Status and outcomes E Indicators Complete Maximise potable water usage efficiency to reduce burden on municipal water supply and wastewater systems. Achieve a NABERS Water 4 star rating. Through sub-metering, provide for ongoing accountability and optimisation of building water use efficiency over time. Reduce use of process water use building system equipment with low-flow or no-flow water use. Reduce or eliminate use of potable water for non-potable processes. Use 5-star WELS rated water efficient appliances throughout. Use waterless urinals throughout. Worksheet 4.1A Sustainable Design Plan (SDP) 7

18 Energy and atmosphere Describe the appropriate performance benchmarks to measure outcomes against e.g. Green Star credits; NABERS Energy rating, PCA Quality or current accommodation energy efficiency. A Design intent B Design team actions C Resp. D Status and outcomes E Indicators Complete Examples: Establish the minimum level of energy efficiency for the building and systems. List specific actions by specific members of the design team to achieve design intent Reduce use of non-renewable energy sources through increased energy efficiency of building services and lighting. Achieve a performance comparable to 5 star NABERS Energy (base building). Investigate use of renewable energy technologies to reduce fossil fuel use by 10%. Ensure that fundamental building elements and systems are designed, installed and calibrated as intended. Reduce ozone depletion potential and global warming potential through careful selection of chillers and their refrigerants. Worksheet 4.1A Sustainable Design Plan (SDP) 8

19 Energy and atmosphere Describe the appropriate performance benchmarks to measure outcomes against e.g. Green Star credits; NABERS Energy rating, PCA Quality or current accommodation energy efficiency. A Design intent B Design team actions C Resp. D Status and outcomes E Indicators Complete Provide for the ongoing accountability and optimisation of building energy consumption performance over time. Materials and resources Describe the appropriate performance benchmarks to measure outcomes against e.g. Green Star credits, emerging good practice or best practice trends or client s current accommodation recycling performance. A Design intent B Design team actions C Resp. D Status and outcomes E Indicators Complete Examples: Conserve material resources by minimising initial resource use and designing for flexibility and ease of adaptation for future uses. List specific actions by specific members of the design team to achieve design intent Divert at least 90% of construction and demolition waste materials from landfill through recycling and reuse. Reduce operational phase solid waste to landfill by designing effective recycling facilities for tenants. Worksheet 4.1A Sustainable Design Plan (SDP) 9

20 Materials and resources Describe the appropriate performance benchmarks to measure outcomes against e.g. Green Star credits, emerging good practice or best practice trends or client s current accommodation recycling performance. A Design intent B Design team actions C Resp. D Status and outcomes E Indicators Complete Reduce ozone depletion potential and global warming potential by preventing refrigerants leaks and through careful selection of materials. Use materials with a recycled content. Encourage environmentally responsible forest management through use of certified timbers. Ensure life-cycle impacts are identified in material selection. Indoor environmental quality Describe the appropriate performance benchmarks to measure outcomes against e.g. Green Star credits, NABERS Indoor Environment, NHMRC thresholds, or current accommodation A Design intent B Design team actions C Resp. D Status and outcomes E Indicators Complete Examples: Provide a high level of control over temperature and ventilation or lighting systems for occupants to promote their productivity, comfort and wellbeing. List specific actions by specific members of the design team to achieve design intent Worksheet 4.1A Sustainable Design Plan (SDP) 10

21 Indoor environmental quality Describe the appropriate performance benchmarks to measure outcomes against e.g. Green Star credits, NABERS Indoor Environment, NHMRC thresholds, or current accommodation A Design intent B Design team actions C Resp. D Status and outcomes E Indicators Complete Establish minimum indoor air quality (IAQ) performance requirements to prevent the development of IAQ problems. Provide capacity for IAQ monitoring during occupation to sustain longterm safety and comfort. Provide for the effective delivery and mixing of fresh air to support occupants safety, comfort and wellbeing. Reduce emissions of indoor air contaminants from materials that are odorous, potentially irritating or harmful to the comfort and wellbeing of installers and occupants. Avoid materials or products with urea-formaldehyde resins. Avoid all fitout or building materials which off-gas VOCs. Use very low-voc finishes throughout. Avoid using furnishings that may foster allergens or dust mites. Worksheet 4.1A Sustainable Design Plan (SDP) 11

22 Worksheet 4.1B Choosing the appropriate environmental rating tool Environmental rating tools fall into two categories: 1 Those used to validate the environmental initiatives of the design phase of a: new building base building refurbishment / retrofit, or fitout / interiors. These validate that the environmental initiatives proposed in the design phase have been implemented. 2 Those used to assess a building s environmental impact when in use. Tools for the design phase Green Star Green Star ratings, managed by the Green Building Council of Australia, are used to assess the design of a building against various environmental criteria. The following rating tools are available for new buildings and those undergoing substantial refurbishment: Green Star Office Design and As-Built Green Star Interiors (internal fitout) Green Star Retail (shopping centres) Green Star Education Other rating tools are being developed. NABERS NABERS ratings, managed by the Department of Environment and Climate Change NSW (DECC), measure the actual impact of an existing building in operation. However, it is possible to use the NABERS Energy tool to predict the future performance of a building. Developers and builders can promote the energy efficiency of their proposed buildings by entering into a Commitment Agreement with NABERS. The NABERS Energy Commitment Agreement allows developers and building owners to promote and market excellent greenhouse performance of new and refurbished office buildings from the outset. The Commitment Agreement will state a commitment to design, build and commission the premises to 4, 4.5 or 5 star performance. The project undergoes a careful review process to ensure that it is able to meet the agreed performance level. Worksheet 4.1B Choosing the appropriate environmental rating tool 1

23 Tool for buildings in use NABERS DECC has established the NABERS ratings for assessing the performance of existing buildings based on their historical measured operational impacts on the environment. Ratings are available for office and hotel buildings, and ratings for other building types are under development. NABERS can be used to rate offices and hotels in the following categories: NABERS can be used to rate offices in the following categories: NABERS Ratings Offices Hotels Energy Yes Yes Water Yes Yes Waste Yes No Indoor Environment Yes No Further information For more information visit: Worksheet 4.1B Choosing the appropriate environmental rating tool 2

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25 Sustainable building projects through tendering 4.2 Context This section contains advice about how to use the tendering process for building refurbishment or fitout projects to support your organisation s sustainability goals. Project tendering, tender evaluation and contract administration are critical processes for delivering the sustainable or green building outcomes established as design goals during the building or fitout design phase (See Section 4.1: Sustainable building through design management ). By detailing your expectations in regard to performance standards and sustainability, and by vetting prospective contractors, the tendering process has a crucial role in maintaining desired environmental and social outcomes in the long term. As well as detailing your requirements, the tendering process needs to help contractors, managers and suppliers understand the role they will be expected to play in supporting the required environmental and social outcomes. What s in this section Integrating sustainability into the tendering process p1 Step 1 Determine thresholds Step 2 Adapt tender documents to include sustainability provisions Step 3 Include sustainability in the evaluation process Worksheet 4.2A Environmental specifications building refurbishment and fitout projects Worksheet 4.2B Environmental evaluation of project tenders For day-to-day purchasing of goods and services, sustainability goals can be supported by developing and implementing a purchasing policy that includes sustainability provisions. (See Section 5: Sustainability and the Supply Chain.) Steps: Integrating sustainability into the tendering process The following steps can be integrated into your organisation s standard project procurement processes. 1 Determine thresholds Determine the threshold at which sustainability criteria and performance standards will be included in tender and contract specifications. Section 4.2 Sustainable building projects through tendering 1

26 The following thresholds are examples only: Project scope New developments Building fitouts or refurbishments Building services equipment upgrades Threshold for sustainability provisions All main contractor construction tenders All tenders over $200,000 value All tenders over $200,000 value To determine this threshold consider: potential environmental risk from demolition and construction activities risk to the project s sustainability goals the impact on your organisation s sustainability objectives and commitments. 2 Adapt tender documents to include sustainability provisions Instruct the documentation team to include sustainability provisions in the tender documents. To follow an example, the team could refer to the environmental specifications set out in Worksheet 4.2A and adapt them to suit the contract style and the scope of work being tendered. Social aspects such as OH&S, employment conditions and community initiatives can also be included. Worksheet 4.2A is adaptable for use in all construction tenders tenancy fitouts or base building refurbishments (retrofits) of existing commercial or retail buildings. These requirements are not intended to replace or override any other environmental or contractual requirements of the tender or contract. (Clause numbering should be amended to suit the tender structure. ) Schedule of Environmental Management The specifications include a Schedule of Environmental Management. This requires the tendering company to provide information about its experience, capability and approach to environmental management on the project. The tenderer s response to this Schedule provides the information required for the tender environmental evaluation. Environmental Management Plan (EMP) or Waste and Recycling Management Plan (WMP), or both The model specification calls for the tenderer to define the need for either an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) or Waste and Recycling Management Plan (WMP), or both. In general, an EMP can include a WMP. However, the option exists for the tenderer to be required to provide a separate WMP in situations where waste management is a key environmental risk e.g. demolition contracts or upgrades of base building services. Outline only The model specification calls for the tenderer to include an outline EMP or WMP (or both). This outline should include an overview only of the structure and scope of issues to be addressed and the general approach to be taken to integrate the EMP or WMP into the tenderer s project management procedures. It is not expected to include significant projectspecific detail on methodology, actions, work instructions or progress reporting. After the tender has been awarded, the selected contractor will be required to complete the EMP or WMP in sufficient detail to enable it to be approved for use. Responding to enquiries Make sure there is a process in place to respond to and record queries or concerns expressed by prospective tenderers. 2

27 3 Include sustainability in the evaluation process Set up a consistent process for evaluating tenders. This includes establishing weightings for the various environmental sustainability criteria which reflect their relative importance and level of risk. To follow an example use an evaluation form such as Worksheet 4.2B. Worksheet 4.2B is based on the provisions set out in the Worksheet 4.2A: Environmental specifications projects and is designed to be used to record and assess the tenderers responses to key sustainable contracting and project delivery requirements. The evaluation can be applied to a pre-qualification process or to a tender response. In both cases, the form needs to clearly list the requirements to be responded to. Importantly, this evaluation is intended to support the selection of the most appropriate contractor and identify commitments made during the tendering stage which should be included in the contract agreement. This evaluation should supplement any other evaluation undertaken to enable a procurement decision to be made. Although the evaluation form is designed for any construction contractor, allowance should be made for the assessment of small companies or companies providing a very limited scope of services. The evaluation form is intended to be selective and easy to use. However, where environmental or social risks are significant, or key areas of performance are required, the checklist should be expanded to deal with some areas in more detail. For example, standard OH&S components could be expanded to include other social issues such as labour practices, and additional detail about project experience or waste management capabilities could be requested, etc. If necessary, ask a tenderer to provide further information to clarify or support their tender response. Make sure the tenderer understands that, if insufficient information is provided to enable an adequate assessment, the tender may be rejected. Keep all documents associated with the selected tenderer for future reference. Worksheets Review and use these Word documents: 4.2A Environmental specifications building refurbishment and fitout projects 4.2B Environmental evaluation of project tenders. Section 4.2 Sustainable building projects through tendering 3

28 Worksheet 4.2A Environmental specifications building refurbishment and fitout projects This is an example only adapt this Worksheet to suit your organisation s requirements. This worksheet contains inserts which can be adapted and used in the tender and contract specifications for building refurbishment and fitout projects. The desired outcome is to ensure both the tender selection process and the execution of the works appropriately address the environmental and social risks attributable to the project. See Worksheet 4.2B for environmental evaluation criteria for project tenders. This has been adapted from the original text by Colonial First State Global Asset Management. Part A: Inclusions for conditions of tendering and preliminaries Environmental management Background The [project owner or principal under the contract] is committed to maximising environmental and social sustainability outcomes within the properties it owns and manages. The construction or refurbishment of commercial [and retail] properties entails environmental and social impacts related to: energy and water consumption pollution waste discharges, and the manufacture and installation of building materials. The [project owner or principal under the contract] is therefore obligated to take all reasonable measures, through the execution of this contract, to mitigate these impacts. The [project owner or principal under the contract] therefore requires tenderers to be aware of its environmental management requirements and to take active measures as described in this tender to adequately address these impacts in response to this tender. Consequently, this tender includes [XX, identifier number] Schedule of Environmental Management (Attachment 1 page 5-6 of this document) which is to be completed by the tenderer and returned with the Tenderer s response. Failure to submit a response to [XX] Schedule of Environmental Management will constitute a nonconforming tender. Key terms and outcomes Notwithstanding any other requirement in the contract, the [project owner or principal under the contract] requires all construction works associated with its properties or projects to take adequate consideration of and demonstrate compliance with the following outcomes: efficient use of energy including electricity, gas and other forms of energy consumed in the property Worksheet 4.2A Environmental specifications building refurbishment and fitout projects 1

29 conservation of water and promotion of water and wastewater recycling and reuse avoidance of materials or construction processes that are toxic or create undesirable emissions or discharges reduction of solid waste from construction activity being disposed of in landfill through increased reuse, recycling and waste avoidance practices compliance with all relevant Federal and State environmental laws, regulations and standards of good practice, as well as local government development approval conditions. the implementation of a structured and systematic process within construction projects to achieve the above and demonstrate an adequate level of environmental due diligence, and if specified, the completed works will achieve the desired Green Star rating or NABERS rating (including NABERS Energy). Tender requirements All Tenderers are required to provide: 1 details of relevant experience listing projects and briefly describing relevant experience brought to this project 2 a minimum of two written references from current or previous clients where the Tenderer undertook a similar scope of work 3 a copy of the Tenderer s Environmental Policy (or similar) 4 a copy of the Tenderer s Environmental Management System (EMS) or similar system that details: how environmental risks are managed within the Tenderer s business activities (not limited to this project) the approach to identifying responsibilities for environmental management within the Tenderer s company the nature and extent of environmental awareness and skills training provided to staff and contractors, and measures implemented by the tenderer to monitor and report on the company s environmental performance. 5 details of the Tenderer s understanding of sustainability in relation to the Australian construction industry and of the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS) and/or the Green Building Council of Australia s Green Star rating system 6 details of the Tenderer s performance in relation to environmental regulations over the last five years including any judgements against the tenderer under any State or Federal environmental legislation 7 details of the Tenderer s environmental and social sustainability reporting (including corporate responsibility and governance initiatives) 8 details of the Tenderer s environmental performance and experience on similar projects with respect to the key outcome areas noted in this tender, section [XX] Schedule of Environmental Management. 9 details of the Tenderer s proposed approach to environmental management of the works under the proposed contract, specifically: [one or both of the following]: a) an Outline Environmental Management Plan (OEMP). The OEMP should be an overview only of the approach to be taken to achieve a high level of performance in project outcomes including energy efficiency, water conservation and reuse, waste management, noise management, indoor Worksheet 4.2A Environmental specifications building refurbishment and fitout projects 2